Home-Start Wessex are proud members of the First 1001 Days group, a coalition of over 200 charities and professionals supporting children in the first 1001 days of life.
Home-Start UK Chief Executive, Peter Grigg, spoke in Parliament to help launch the First 1001 Days manifesto on Tuesday 19th March.
The First 1001 Days manifesto outlines a call for urgent support for vulnerable babies, amid growing concerns about the health and welfare of Britain’s youngest. The appeal follows last month’s warning from the Academy of Medical Sciences that the UK is “betraying” young children, by neglecting their essential physical and mental health needs.
The five headline asks in the First 1001 Days manifesto are:
1. An ambitious cross-government strategy to support babies’ healthy development
2. Invest more in prevention
3. Tackle health inequalities so that all babies have a good start to life
4. Develop a workforce plan for children‘s social care and the early years
5. A rapid review of the tax and benefits system for parents and carers of under-2s
At Home-Start Wessex, we are fully behind this manifesto. With a focus on providing support for families with at least one child under 5, we acknowledge the increasing concerns for young children and strive to help as many families as possible in a number of ways.
How Home-Start Wessex supports vulnerable families and their young children:
1. Providing 121 support, assisting those who meet the criteria in their homes
2. Setting up groups, both drop-in and referral only, to facilitate the creation of support networks
3. Training our valuable volunteers to a high standard, giving them every tool possible to succeed
4. Working with parents to build their confidence and parenting skills to best support their children
5. Creating a safe, nurturing environment for children to flourish and grow in, now and moving forward
If you’d like to look further at the full manifesto, download it below. By working together, we hope to continue making a difference in our local community. #BecauseChildhoodCan’tWait